Effects of Cosleeping

By Joseph J Cleary

Social Stigma

Actual ad put out by the City of Milwaukee Health Department in 2011

Why Cosleep?

• Colic/infant preference• Parental preference• Logistics/beds available • Lack of knowledge of risks/risk factors• Breastfeeding convenience

• Mothers breastfed longer at each session and breastfed infants until an older age.

• Increased frequency of feeds with breastfed over bottle fed?!?!?

Breastfeeding

Awakenings vs Sleep?

• Cosleep increases awakenings • Cosleeping infant slept the same amount of time• Cosleeping children returned to sleep faster

Marital Satisfaction & Sexual Implications

Negative effects for cosleepers as a whole.

For those who cosleep for other reasons

There was a large correlation to marital and sexual dissatisfaction

For those who chose to Cosleep

There was no marital or sexual implications

SIDS studies

• Soft Bedding x2• Couch or Chair x2-x6• Smoking x2-x10• Alcohol Consumption

(see graphs)

Risk factors found in Literature

Asphyxiation

• 51.8% of Asphyxiation deaths within bed• 13.7% in crib/bassinette

Retrospective Study showed…Control Study showed…

• 7 out of 10 prolonged episodes resolved by parent• 2 out of 10 resolved by infant calling out • 1 out of 10 resolved by infant moving

Will I get stuck cosleeping?• Cosleeping at younger than three years old was not predictive of future cosleeping.• Cosleeping at four years of age or older was shown to be a precursor to cosleeping

later in childhood.

Demographic Variation

White Black

Asian/Pacific Islander

Hispanic American Indian/Alaska

Native

15.7% 43.1%

23.8%

41.1% 26.0%

Always Cosleep Sometimes Cosleep with Smoker

18.1% 19.5%

7.1%

6.2% 21.6%

Demographic Variation

Income

<30,000 per year more than x3 as likely as >50,000 per year

Education

<12 years education more than x2 as likely as >12 years

Maternal Age

Age 13-19 more likely than age >19

Conclusion

• Do not cosleep if you are a smoker• Do not cosleep on a couch or chair• Minimize bedding, sleep on firm mattress• Never cosleep after drugs or alcohol

General recommendations:

Conclusion

• How to refine studies? What populations to study?

• How to relay results? • Command not to vs Educate?

Questions:

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